Kings Island 2020 Finally Open Thread

[NegativeGs]

8 hours ago, chibul said:

While I see the theory here - this clearly isn't the case or we'd know of outbreaks at parks that have already reopened.

Agreed, I doubt we will hear from WLWT5 of people contracting COVID-19 at KI. Generally, we don't hear where people catch the virus from.

[disco2000]

3 hours ago, NegativeGs said:

Agreed, I doubt we will hear from WLWT5 of people contracting COVID-19 at KI. Generally, we don't hear where people catch the virus from.

Wrong channel....We will hear about it on WCPO "Don't Waste Your Money" segment

[NegativeGs]

If we look at deaths because the numbers are more accurate. About 1,155 people died in road accidental last year in Ohio. So, about 96 deaths per month. Over the last month, Ohio had about 800 COVID-19 deaths. About 15% of those deaths are people aged 60 years and younger (age group of people visiting KI?) So, that is about 120 deaths per month for people under 60 years. Assuming people spend as much time driving to KI as being there, based on exposure time a person is more likely to die of COVID-19. The point is that exposure to COVID-19 increases by visiting KI. However, there are many other risks people accept daily. I will enjoy KI this summer, regardless of the safety and health risks of traveling and being there.

[Shaggy]

For those that attend opening day, just remember, the park is feeling its way through this, and will likely be operating at a very cautious speed.  Its just as new to them as it is to guests - so its gonna take time for them to get their footing.

Also, prepare yourself that wait for Orion will likely be very, very long... EXCRUCIATINGLY long. 

Due to Covid, hourly capacity is likely to be limited to 1/4 (or less) than designed.  In addition, new rides like Orion are, understandably, prone to some downtime.

I'm not trying to be a downer, I'm just pointing out the potential that things may be a bit chaotic, or slow moving.

Please keep eyes and minds open to the fact that the staff is doing everything they can to make the day a success - its not their fault that the park is on restricted operating procedures.  They have some long, challenging days ahead of them - and they need positive support.

Take time to thank the employees that you interact with for working under the conditions.  

[IndyGuy4KI]

2 hours ago, Shaggy said:

For those that attend opening day, just remember, the park is feeling its way through this, and will likely be operating at a very cautious speed.  Its just as new to them as it is to guests - so its gonna take time for them to get their footing.

Also, prepare yourself that wait for Orion will likely be very, very long... EXCRUCIATINGLY long. 

Due to Covid, hourly capacity is likely to be limited to 1/4 (or less) than designed.  In addition, new rides like Orion are, understandably, prone to some downtime.

I'm not trying to be a downer, I'm just pointing out the potential that things may be a bit chaotic, or slow moving.

Please keep eyes and minds open to the fact that the staff is doing everything they can to make the day a success - its not their fault that the park is on restricted operating procedures.  They have some long, challenging days ahead of them - and they need positive support.

Take time to thank the employees that you interact with for working under the conditions.  

Very good points Shaggy!

[Hawaiian Coasters 325]

Yes and also please be respectful to the associates who are going to be under pressure! Also this is not the time to be making fun of operations. Thank you. 

[CheetahDrew]

10 minutes ago, Hawaiian Coasters 325 said:

Yes and also please be respectful to the associates who are going to be under pressure! Also this is not the time to be making fun of operations. Thank you. 

Yes, I will mention especially coming through the Health Screening, We did our training today. It will be different the first few weeks we will most definitely need peoples patience, we want you in the park, but please make sure to be patient with us as im sure all of you here will be.

[Hawaiian Coasters 325]

3 minutes ago, CheetahDrew said:

Yes, I will mention especially coming through the Health Screening, We did our training today. It will be different the first few weeks we will most definitely need peoples patience, we want you in the park, but please make sure to be patient with us as im sure all of you here will be.

I did my training Thursday. 

[pkiknex25]

Okay, I didn't want to incite a panic for this with it's own topic, and this is only one person on Reddit talking, but I'm looking for assurance. 

Again, this comment is the only place I've seen this, including a search for the word "phone" here on KIC. Can anybody 100% confirm or 100% deny this information please?

[FUN&ONLY!]

4 minutes ago, pkiknex25 said:

Okay, I didn't want to incite a panic for this with it's own topic, and this is only one person on Reddit talking, but I'm looking for assurance. 

Again, this comment is the only place I've seen this, including a search for the word "phone" here on KIC. Can anybody 100% confirm or 100% deny this information please?

I can’t, but Chad Showalter can! You can have items in line as long as you secure them which was always the policy for these rides.

https://mobile.twitter.com/chadshowalter/status/1276951323360071684

[disco2000]

^ Plus they cannot require each person from a group to have the mobile app up and running and then require it locked away in a locker for hours on end...

Sounds like Lukestradelmann needs more training...

and too many use Reddit as their source of information LOL  Glad you questioned the validity of it!

[pkiknex25]

7 minutes ago, FUN&ONLY! said:

I can’t, but Chad Showalter can! You can have items in line as long as you secure them which was always the policy for these rides.

https://mobile.twitter.com/chadshowalter/status/1276951323360071684

So normal KI policy still. Perfect. Thank you! 

Disco, agreed about Reddit. I never use it alone as a source, like I wouldn't with Wikipedia. Hence why I came here before believing it.

[amapan]

That the park is even continuing opening plans is phenomenal.  The people who will be attending the park for the first two weeks are going to be theme park and coaster enthusiasts holding season passes who have been anticipating this for basically a year. Incredible planning and work by a team of creative, brilliant, and dedicated people have been investing YEARS of their life’s work to get Orion ready for its debut. The people working at and attending the park are taking a huge risk by showing up. A very calculated risk that if mitigated or judged incorrectly could result in tragic consequences. For individuals, for employees, for the park, and even the local community and economy. The ONLY way this works is if everyone trusts each other, has patience demonstrated through kindness and gratitude, and follows the guidelines set in place. That there hasn’t been much information released about how location tracing and queue lines will be organized signals to me that planning and adapting will be happening at a granular level. If a policy or guideline changes before or while you’re at the park, remember that it is to protect everyone in our community, and that if a certain strategy fails during these first two weeks that it is because we trust each other to keep our community safe. Through this great trust we are about to bestow upon one another, that could uncover flaws in the system and could potentially have caused harm down the line. 

[NegativeGs]

6 hours ago, Shaggy said:

For those that attend opening day, just remember, the park is feeling its way through this, and will likely be operating at a very cautious speed.  Its just as new to them as it is to guests - so its gonna take time for them to get their footing.

Also, prepare yourself that wait for Orion will likely be very, very long... EXCRUCIATINGLY long. 

Due to Covid, hourly capacity is likely to be limited to 1/4 (or less) than designed.  In addition, new rides like Orion are, understandably, prone to some downtime.

I'm not trying to be a downer, I'm just pointing out the potential that things may be a bit chaotic, or slow moving.

Please keep eyes and minds open to the fact that the staff is doing everything they can to make the day a success - its not their fault that the park is on restricted operating procedures.  They have some long, challenging days ahead of them - and they need positive support.

Take time to thank the employees that you interact with for working under the conditions.  

We are going on July 4th. Last year was so much fun. I suspect this year the park will feel kind of empty, because of reduced park capacity and everyone queuing for Orion  Well, hopefully the queues aren't unbearable. But if they are, my daughter and I will get some exercise, spin PokeStops, and enjoy the fireworks. Added bonus, we can enjoy fireworks while social distancing.

[IceePirate]

3 hours ago, pkiknex25 said:

Okay, I didn't want to incite a panic for this with it's own topic, and this is only one person on Reddit talking, but I'm looking for assurance. 

Again, this comment is the only place I've seen this, including a search for the word "phone" here on KIC. Can anybody 100% confirm or 100% deny this information please?

Orion will not allow any loose articles in line or on the ride. As far as I know, things that fit in your pockets are fine, but they can't be sticking out of the pockets and need to be secure. There's lockers right next to the ride, so be sure to stow all your bags and whatnot there, or leave them with a non rider. Like Banshee, there's no bins in the station for those sorts of things.

[coaster sally]

3 hours ago, disco2000 said:

^ Plus they cannot require each person from a group to have the mobile app up and running and then require it locked away in a locker for hours on end...

Sounds like Lukestradelmann needs more training...

and too many use Reddit as their source of information LOL  Glad you questioned the validity of it!

Why does one person your group need to have the app running?  They are not having a virtual que.  

[disco2000]

7 minutes ago, coaster sally said:

Why does one person your group need to have the app running?  They are not having a virtual que.  

From the website:

Why do I or someone in my party need to bring a mobile phone with the Kings Island app downloaded and “Location Services” enabled?

Downloading the Kings Island mobile app allows you to store your Season Pass and/or tickets digitally, to enable contactless entry into the park with no paper tickets or plastic cards exchanged. In addition, enabling the Location Services feature allows us to send you real-time updates about social distancing and procedures when you are visiting the park.

Sounds like code for they hope to be able to use location services to track groups and monitor social distancing and be able to send staff to areas of non-compliance...

[amapan]

I am super okay with this.  It is part of the reason I felt  comfortable to make a reservation.  What I would like to see would be watch apps as well so I don’t have to mess around with my phone at all.  

[SnakePlissken]

3 hours ago, NegativeGs said:

We are going on July 4th. Last year was so much fun. I suspect this year the park will feel kind of empty, because of reduced park capacity and everyone queuing for Orion  Well, hopefully the queues aren't unbearable. But if they are, my daughter and I will get some exercise, spin PokeStops, and enjoy the fireworks. Added bonus, we can enjoy fireworks while social distancing.

July 4th 2019 was almost 90 degrees so the dry park was empty until 8pm when the water park closed. Then it got packed. This year with no waterpark and dry rides running with every other row marked off who knows what it will be like. Weather looks to be 90 again and no rain this year too.

[IceePirate]

6 minutes ago, SnakePlissken said:

July 4th 2019 was almost 90 degrees so the dry park was empty until 8pm when the water park closed. Then it got packed. This year with no waterpark and dry rides running with every other row marked off who knows what it will be like. Weather looks to be 90 again and no rain this year too.

I will be doing a rain dance just enough to cool off the day. I already know I'm gonna be super busy this season, but it'd be nice if it was a good temperature

[chibul]

Am I the only one nervous about 1700 people piling in at 10:30 waiting for the park to open?

I haven't seen any reference at all as to how they're going to manage that crowd, or distance that many people in line waiting for opening.

[King Ding Dong]

13 hours ago, chibul said:

Can you provide evidence of this? Pretty much all the experts now are stating the relative safety of outdoors. 

 

5 minutes ago, chibul said:

Am I the only one nervous about 1700 people piling in at 10:30 waiting for the park to open?

I haven't seen any reference at all as to how they're going to manage that crowd, or distance that many people in line waiting for opening.

I am having a tough time squaring these two seemingly in-congruent statements.

[chibul]

2 minutes ago, King Ding Dong said:

 

I am having a tough time squaring these two seemingly in-congruent statements.

"Relative safety of outdoors" doesn't account for 1700 people crammed in like sardines waiting for the turnstiles to open up.

I feel as though, with masks/social distancing, KI will be relatively safe. But how do you social distance when you're having 1700 people arrive before the park even opens? Initially I figured oh, they'll let people go in as they get there, maybe get in queues while waiting for the park to open - but that's not the case.

So I don't see a "safe" method of doing the plan they've laid out? Surely I can't be the only one thinking this.

[King Ding Dong]

Are you sure that is how they are handling it?  I thought we had a discussion recently about the toll booths not opening until 10:30 and that would naturally stagger the arrival of guests at the front gate depending how fast they let vehicles through the booths.  Of course at the expense of a possible traffic jam who knows how far outside the toll booths.

[chibul]

1 hour ago, King Ding Dong said:

Are you sure that is how they are handling it?  I thought we had a discussion recently about the toll booths not opening until 10:30 and that would naturally stagger the arrival of guests at the front gate depending how fast they let vehicles through the booths.  Of course at the expense of a possible traffic jam who knows how far outside the toll booths.

Right, that's all true - but what happens after the people go through the temperature checks? They're stuck at the front gate waiting...piling up. That's my concern.

[coaster sally]

where is the gate located when you pull off the main road to go into Kings Island?

[PatchesC]

7 hours ago, chibul said:

Right, that's all true - but what happens after the people go through the temperature checks? They're stuck at the front gate waiting...piling up. That's my concern.

I'd assume they would have people through the turnstiles before opening time and have a large area same as any other morning. Generally ropes half way up International, so may just extend them further in each direction to allow more distancing. Guess they could do a secondary rope once a section has X number of people in it, sorta how Universal has holding pens for transition from regular to Horror Nights hours.

[chibul]

10 hours ago, PatchesC said:

I'd assume they would have people through the turnstiles before opening time and have a large area same as any other morning. Generally ropes half way up International, so may just extend them further in each direction to allow more distancing. Guess they could do a secondary rope once a section has X number of people in it, sorta how Universal has holding pens for transition from regular to Horror Nights hours.

I would've thought this too, but this indicates otherwise:

[FEARSOMERIDER]

Would anyone have any insight on the entry process.  Can you use your physical plastic Season Pass card for entry, or must you upload them to the KI app?  Also, are you prompted to a link so that you can answer the Health Check questionnaire 24 hours before your arrival date.

[Winterfestguy]

1 hour ago, chibul said:

I would've thought this too, but this indicates otherwise:

If that is true that the turnstiles won’t open until 11am, that is a recipe for disaster of people stacking up.  KI already knows people stack up after security checks based upon past Friday night Haunt and Winterfest openings (massive lines of people breathing down your neck).  They should do like they did for Saturday night Winterfest openings and sometimes in the summer where the turnstiles are open 30 min early and allow you to space out around the fountain area waiting for opening rope drops by KI theater and end of the Eiffel Tower paths.   Guess KI will learn the hard way that not opening turnstiles after 10:30 was really bad planning on their part, even if it is only 500 guests each for the 10:30 and 11am time slots.